So.... You've just wrestled your CT onto your bike rim. You crank the pressure up well beyond 100psi. and...well.... no go! Your bead is on, except for that last few inches that just won't go. So what do you do? More pressure. Right?... NO!! There are several horror stories of exploding tires because of difficulty seating the bead. Some folks even think this is the fault of the tire. This just isn't so.

You see. When this happens you end up with a small portion of the bead stuck under the "ridge" of your wheel. When you apply more PSI it only serves to add more force holding the tire "under the ridge" as it deforms the tire even more. Here's how I overcame this obstacle.

First of all, carefully choose your lube. When I mounted my first DS tire I used dish soap and water. And lots of it! This proved to be a bad choice, as six months later I ended up with a leak around the bead. This was caused by corrosion on my rim. No doubt from my choice of lube. I recommend a silicone based lubricant. I've been using silicone lube for brake calipers. It's nice and slick, non corrosive, and not harmful to rubber.

Keep in mind, I'm mounting 15" tires. By far the most difficult. And I'm not grinding on my wheels either!!

Safety is also a big deal here. I use a clip on tire chuck with 100' of hose. So there's plenty of distance between me and the tire when I finally do hit it with max pressure.

Here's the trick!! Set your pressure regulator to about 10psi. Lay the tire/wheel down on it's side. Use a towel or blanket to lay it on to keep from scuffing up your rim. The tire will begin to inflate but you can still break the seal by stepping on the sidewall. If not, lower your psi a little until you can break the seal. You will notice a portion of the tire will hang up under the ridge of the wheel, while the rest will push up farther onto the bead. Step down on the sidewall opposite the side that is "hanging" enough to just slightly break the seal and push the bead into the drop center just a little. This will allow the "hanging" side to push out a little. Keep working your way around the tire until the entire bead is even. None of it should be seated at this point, but rather, slightly pushed down behind the ridge and being held in place by the low pressure supplied. Once it's all nice and even, crank your regulator WAY UP! It might take a couple tries. But you will have much better success with this method rather than the "go or blow" approach